Nothing can break a good app quicker than an ugly interface. Conversely, a subpar app can be thrown into the limelight thanks to a beautiful UI. The point is: we're all slightly vain and love to look at pretty things. If you're a developer, making your app visually appealing is absolutely clutch for success; if you're just not sure where to start, however, we've got a book that should be just what the doctor ordered: Android User Interface: Turning Ideas and Sketches into Beautifully Designed Apps($25, Amazon).

Any developer (or writer, musician, athlete, parent, human being...) worth their salt is constantly trying to improve their skills. The best way to do that is not only through doing something constantly (read: practice) but also through research, reading, and studying new material. That's why school is a thing that we do.

This contest is now over.

The final results are listed below. If you've won, you will be contacted in the near future.

I've written more than a few of these giveaways for products covering just about every aspect of Android development, and written by dozens of authors. But this one... well, this is special, because it's a series of LiveLessons from none other than former Android Police contributor Ian Clifton.

This contest is now over. Here are our winners, selected at random:

Vikky

Michael Pardon

Tania N

Alex (Dupree?)

Mario II Valenzuela

Jeff Miller

LookedPath

Keyz Karanza

SQ1

CHRIS S

Congratulations, guys - all of you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

It seems like most books on developing for Android are geared towards beginners and those who are accustomed to developing for other platforms or using other languages, while fewer help you put that extra layer of polish and shine on your app. With hundreds of thousands of apps already on the market for you to compete with, that's exactly what you need: something to kick your app up a notch or two.

It's no secret that we work with a number of publishers to give away a steady stream of books to aid aspiring developers - after all, if we help developers, the entire Android ecosystem as a whole is enriched. But for some people, simply reading a book isn't the ideal way to learn. It's for these people that informIT has released Android App Development Fundamentals LiveLessons - a series of downloadable videos that are designed to teach Java developers how to build apps for Android.

Those of you from the early days of Android may remember App Inventor - a Google project that allowed people to create apps for Android by dragging and dropping bits of code - no programming experience required. More recently, Google transferred the App Inventor to MIT, where it was open sourced. But the App Inventor (AI) is still a bit tricky to just open and jump right in to - a proper guide through the AI would allow someone to utilize its full potential, and create more complex apps in less time.

Our final giveaway today is another of our developer-oriented contests, and we're giving ten copies of the massive programming reference book Android Wireless Application Development by Shane Conder and Lauren Darcey, thanks to our friends at InformIT. Again, we ask that only developers or those interested in learning Android development participate, so that they can start making even more awesome apps for the rest of us.

Our second, and last, giveaway for today is a little more literary than the offerings we've had so far, and really, is pointed more towards those who are looking to get into Android programming and development. So, we do ask that you only enter this contest if you actually want the book, because there aren't many Android giveaways out there aimed at the developer crowd. And don't worry devs, this isn't the only InformIT title we'll be offering as part of our Mega-Holiday Giveaway - it's just the first.